Abstract
<p>There is solid evidence that high quality Early Childhood Education (ECE hereafter) have substantial impact on later life outcomes. A growing literature suggests that interventions that develop social competency as well as cognitive, language and academic skills in the earliest years play a role in later educational, social and economic success. Less is known about the most conducive interactions –verbal and non-verbal- underpinning such pedagogical practices in early childhood education. This article aims at reviewing the last decade’s early childhood education with a twofold objective: (a) to describe how dialogue and interaction take place in high-quality early childhood education settings; (b) to identify the effects, if any, on children’s learning and development as a result of implementing dialogue-based interventions in ECE. The studies were identified through systematic search of electronic databases and analyzed accordingly. Several types of interactions given in high quality ECE programs and its short and long-term effects are discerned in this review. </p>
Highlights
The role of interactions between infants and adults has been shown as central mechanisms for learning and development
Dialogue and interaction play a crucial role in high-quality early childhood education
Within the framework of a multidimensional definition of quality, we have focused this review on a particular dimension of the ‘process quality’ (Howes et al, 2008; Mathers et al, 2014), that is, teacherchild interactions and small group interactions in educational settings
Summary
The role of interactions between infants and adults has been shown as central mechanisms for learning and development This has been the central thesis of Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of learning and development, which sees a child’s ‘level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers’ Vygotsky’s studies demonstrated the social and cultural nature of the development of the higher mental functions during the first years of age and its dependence on cooperation with adults and on instruction He insisted on ‘the strong influence that instruction can have when the corresponding functions are not fully matured’ He insisted on ‘the strong influence that instruction can have when the corresponding functions are not fully matured’ (Vygotsky, 1962, p. 200)
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